moments
by shiny-chang
Summary: -ficlets series- be silent and wait. but don't stop. because they'll catch you.
1. run run run, there's no turning back

**moments – run run run, there's no turning back**

_by shiny-chang_

You know you shouldn't have said anything, done anything. And you curse yourself for having even _thought_ of bringing back Dumbledore's Army - _Dumbledore's_ still, even though he's **dead** and he can't ever **come****back****and****lead** you against You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters (and it's still _You-Know-Who_, even though deep down you know that you _could_ and _**would**_ say his name if you really didn't want to be killed).

You can hear the thuds behind you, heavy footsteps. You can hear their threats and curses, _'Come__back__,__Longbottom,__you__blood__traitor!'_ You can hear the sparks flying off the walls and floor, _**greenredbluepurple**_ flashing in the corners of your eyes.

But you can't stop, no matter how tired you are. You can't turn around; you can't call for help; you can't do anything except _runrunrun_.

And that's what you're doing.

Run and _duck_ and run and _swerve_ and run and _turn_.

You leap up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. You narrowly miss falling down the trick step that's always caught you ever since you were eleven, and you continue to run, drowning out the shouts of portraits with the pounding in your ears.

_And you run and you run and you run._

And there's the tapestry - the familiar tapestry that you've strolled three times in front of daily for the past year. And you allow a sigh of relief as you run past, turn, run past again, turn again, run past again - _don't__let__the__Carrows__find__me,__don't__let__Snape__find__me,__don't__let__anyone__on__their__side__find__me_ - and _**pullpullpull**_ at the heavy door that's appeared and disappear inside, the stone grinding shut behind you.

And you know you're_finally__safe_, as you slide down against the wall - there's no door there anymore - and breathe in deeply to catch your breath.

**314 words**


	2. wait and be silent

**A/N: As you can see, I have changed the title, and it is now going to be continued as a series of 'moments' of Neville's seventh year. It won't be chronological, so just bear with me…!**

**moments – wait and be silent**

_by shiny-chang_

The first thing you notice when you enter the station is the woman standing right next to the barrier. People around you glance and stare, at the disgusting hair and the ugly face, and most importantly the robes. Grandma beside you tuts, gripping your shoulder painfully, but you don't say anything.

'Longbottom, is it?' the woman growls, and you silently nod. 'Blood traitors, but the Dark Lord doesn't waste good blood. Well, off you go.'

But you don't move, because Muggles are watching, and, beside you, Grandma voices your thoughts.

'Never mind that now,' the woman smirks. 'Just a Memory Charm will make sure they don't remember anything they shouldn't. Now get on with it!'

At the harsh bark of her voice, you stumble forwards into the barrier and pass through.

It's silent and it's cold and there's hardly anyone. Students are clustered into small groups, but no-one speaks.

And suddenly you're attacked by a set of arms.

'Oh thank Merlin you're here now!'

'Er, hi Ginny. What's wrong?' you ask her, for she has a frown upon her face. She shakes her head, glancing around at the cloaked and masked wizards patrolling. You understand her order to be silent, and you wait until you're both on the train with Luna, the English countryside rolling outside and the masked wizards have disappeared from your view.

'That's Carrow,' she says. 'Or one of them anyway. Dad says they're teaching this year, and they're about as bright as Ron full of love potion.'

You raise an eyebrow and quirk a small smile at the simile, knowing fully well that she would, given the chance, crudely insult them with a 'fucking idiot', but even after casting Muffliato on the door, you can't relax. So you resort to a nod, and Luna opposite you gives a little laugh under her breath.

'Where's your brother?' you ask after a pause.

'Which one?'

'Ron.'

'Spattergroit.'

Her answer's short and curt; you know there's more than she's saying but the black shadow passing by the compartment door stops you from opening your mouth. And you don't open it for the rest of the journey, scared to say anything wrong.

**362 words**


	3. surrounded on all sides

**moments - surrounded on all sides**

You eat. You drink. You learn. You sleep.

Every day, you wake up to the same thing. Every day, you numbly follow your daily routine. And every day, you live in a state of unknowing.

Unknowing what is going on outside the castle. Unknowing what is the truth and what is the false. Unknowing when it will be you, who's taken away, tortured, abandoned.

But you know it's safer.

Safer that you're just another student in the school, another face in the crowd, another head the Carrows glance over as their greedy black eyes latch onto their next prey – yesterday it was Longbottom but today feral grins overtake their features as they watch and watch and watch the Lovegood girl from Ravenclaw in the year above. Who knows who is next?

You watch, as another witch in the audience. You watch as they halt in her steps, reach into her bag and pull out a magazine, bright and colourful in this bleak castle. You watch as they slap her, and her face carefully turns, a red print blossoming on her cheek. And you listen to the loud harsh voice as it informs her of a detention.

And then the crowd around you starts to move again. And you follow them, intent on making it to your next lesson without any more disturbances.

But you're barely on your third stride towards the Transfiguration classroom before a thick heavy hand slaps down on your shoulder and forces your to turn around and face the Carrows.

'Miss Greengrass. It's your turn tonight.'

And your stomach drops, because you know who you're going to be torturing today, and you hate it, you hate this 'duty' which you've been evading since the start of the year, because it's even worse to be chosen today when you don't hate the victim.

But you can't do anything. Disobeying meant standing out. Disobeying meant branding yourself as a traitor. Disobeying meant sacrificing your own hide, only for it to rebound in your face and _laugh_. And that wasn't the Slytherins' role in this game.

So you do what Slytherins do, and nod, and throw the hand off your shoulder, and saunter down the corridor, continuing with your daily routine. And when it comes to eight o'clock, you're standing outside Dungeon Three, scared out of your mind, but you can't say anything, so you don't, as you follow your Muggle Studies professor into the classroom and face the Ravenclaw chained to the wall.

You know which curse you're meant to be using, but you still look questioningly at the professor as you delay the inevitable.

'The Cruciatus, y'idiot.'

You nod, and stare at the tied up blonde.

You hesitate for a second, and see the wink she sends you, before you raise your wand and whisper the curse.

And then she's screaming, weeping, shrinking in on herself. But you don't understand, because the first thing the other Carrow taught in your first lesson on the Unforgiveables is that you must mean it, and you know you didn't mean it today.

So why is she crying as if she's in pain?

And you understand that wink she sends you.

And you breathe a sigh of relief, inwardly, as you concentrate on the pretence, right under the Carrow's nose.

Because, even though she's a Ravenclaw, and you're a Slytherin, you're united, _united_ as students against the evil which has penetrated what used to be - _should be_ - a safe haven.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: You can probably tell who's in this chapter. I've decided that **_**moment_s will be about any one at Hogwarts during Deathly Hallows. It's just somewhere to put all my thoughts and imaginings of the students during that year._**


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